Terry (dog)

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Terry, the Cairn Terrier
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Terry, the Cairn Terrier

Terry (19331944) was a Cairn Terrier whose most famous role was Toto in the movie The Wizard of Oz (1939). She appeared in thirteen different movies but was only credited in the one.

Terry was trained and owned by Carl Spitz. Her first film appearance was with Shirley Temple in 1934's Bright Eyes. Terry broke her foot during the filming of The Wizard of Oz and almost lost her life when one of the witch's guards stepped on her. As part of her training she spent two weeks at Judy Garland's, and Garland was reported to have grown quite attached to the dog and very much wanted to adopt her, but Spitz refused. The dog's salary, $125 per week, was more than many human actors in the film. She attended the premiere of The Wizard of Oz at Grauman's Chinese Theater; because of the popularity of the film, Terry's name was changed to Toto in 1942.

The dog died toward the end of World War II and was buried in a pet burial area behind the Spitz's residence and kennel. During the expansion of the Ventura Freeway in Los Angeles, the property was obtained by CalTrains for construction purposes. The facility and the small burial grounds were razed.